Alternate Ending to Cover Story
by craftygymgirl
Summary: What if Landon took a shot at Abby and McGee jumped infront of her, taking the bullet for her.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"McGee, hold on" Gibbs spoke as he applied pressure to the freely bleeding wound on McGee's chest. Ziva had Landon handcuffed on the floor and Tony was consoling a very emotional Abby. The paramedics arrived and Gibbs was moved but McGee clung weakly to his hand so he was allowed to come in the ambulance with McGee.

Ambulance

"Boss ... tell Abby ... I'm Sorry... my fault" he gasped out the words as breathing became increasingly difficult and he felt himself passing out.

"You will get to tell her yourself McGee."

"Please ... tell her" he spoke weakly before he stopped breathing. The paramedics placed a tube down his throat to breathe for him.

An hour later, Tony and Ziva entered the surgical waiting room. "Where's Abby at DiNozzo?"

"Ducky picked her up and said he'd sedate her for the night. How is McGee doing?"

"Not good, he stopped breathing on the way here and his heart stopped once while they were treating him in the ER."

Three hours later, a surgeon entered the waiting room, "Family of Timothy McGee"

"His sister is on the way, I'm his boss, and this incident was work related."

"He made it through the surgery; however he lost a lot of blood and he seems to have slipped into a coma. Right now all we can do is wait and see if he wakes up."

"Can we see him?" Tony asked.

"Yes, maybe he'll respond to you"

Tony was shocked at how still and pale McGee was and the ventilator tube coming out of his mouth just made things look so much worse. "Hey probie, I know you probably don't want to right now, but you need to wake up for us. Abby needs you; heck the whole team needs you. Please try to wake up for us." He was a little sad that he didn't get a response even if he hadn't really been expecting one.

The next day, Abby was allowed to see Tim. "Timmy, why did you jump in front of that bullet for me? I love you and don't want to lose you so please wake up." She got no response. A nurse entered and went to Tim's IV and started injecting meds as well as hanging a new IV bag. "Nurse, what are you giving him?"

"The shot was pain medication and I'm hanging an antibiotic that the doctor ordered. Keep talking to him honey, I truly believe that patients can hear what's going on around them when unconscious." Abby nodded in response.

A Week Later

Things were quiet at the office without Tim. Abby had returned to work and was working on some samples from another team's case when her phone rang.

"Forensics"

"Is this Abby Sciuto?"

"Yes"

"This is Doctor Jagman from Bethesda. Agent Gibbs asked me to call you with any updates on Agent McGee's condition."

"What's wrong!?"

"Nothing at all. He has not woken up yet, but he is breathing well enough on his own that we have taken him off the ventilator."

"That's great; does that mean he will wake up soon?"

"I really don't know what's going to happen, for now all we can do is continue to wait. But coming off the ventilator is a step in the right direction."

"Thank you Doctor."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A week after Tim started breathing on his own he was still in a coma. "Doctor, why isn't he waking up?"

"Quite frankly, we just can't find any explanation for him continuing to be in the coma. How did he get shot?"

"A crazed fan of his new book was shooting at our forensic tech and McGee jumped in front of her"

"Most doctors don't believe this but it's possible that he could be blaming himself for the shooting and that could be affecting him wanting to wake up"

"Is there anything we can do?" Gibbs asked realizing that he was at least partially at fault.

"If that's the case, he needs reassurance that this incident wasn't his fault."

"Thank you Doctor"

Inside McGee's mind:

Tim blamed himself for the attack on Abby and the murders of the two innocent victims he'd based his books' characters on. Gibbs had said as much so he'd hardly believed that there was anything to wake up to so he was just kind of letting himself float there in a kind of limbo. He heard the team talking to him but didn't respond. He knew he was still alive because he could hear the sounds of the hospital, he knew when his fellow agents and Abby spoke to him but he just thought it was because he is lying in a hospital bed. Then one night he saw a light and fallowed it, he suddenly stood in an empty room. He was very confused until he heard a familiar voice speak to him. "Come on Tim, don't blame yourself" He turned around and was shocked to see Kate Todd standing in front of him.

"This is my fault, Gibbs said as much."

"You know Gibbs didn't mean it like that"

"He didn't?" McGee was confused.

"Come on McGee, you know Gibbs has never been good with his emotions, especially where Abby is concerned."

"I just don't know, it's only been a day since the shooting and Gibbs …, I'll just lay here awhile."

"TIM, it's been almost two weeks. Gibbs and Abby are a mess, actually are they all emotional wrecks but those two are the worst. You need to go back and wake up for them." The room faded to black.

The Next Day

Abby made her usual daily before work visit hoping that today would be the day she sees _"her Timmy" _open his eyes. "Timmy, I don't blame you for what happened so please wake up."Abby was rewarded with a very weak moan from the bed."Timmy are you waking up?"

"I'm here Abby" he spoke softly with his eyes tightly clenched against the pain in his chest.

"It's okay Tim. I'll get a nurse." she said knowing he had to be in pain from his wounds as well as the surgery.

A moment later Abby entered with a nurse carrying a syringe of pain meds in her hand."Agent McGee, How are you feeling?"

"Chest ... hurts"

"Where is it hurting exactly?" He pointed weakly to the site of his wound and where the doctors had opened his chest in the OR to fix the damage.

"You were shot and had surgery two weeks ago but you're doing much better now." she said as she injected the much needed pain meds into his IV and smiled when he visibly relaxed. Abby knew Gibbs would want to know so she stepped out while the nurse checked on McGee's condition, now that he was awake. Back at the office, Tony was just ending a phone call with a possible witness on their current case when he heard. "That's great Abby we'll be right there."

"Tony, Ziva let's go. McGee's awake."

Hospital

"How are you feeling McGee?" Gibbs asked as he, Tony and Ziva entered the room

"Been better" came the weak voice from the bed in the room.

"Do you remember what happened to you McGee?" Tony asked quietly.

"Landon was going to shoot Abby" he said while trying to sit up to see if Abby was hurt but quickly found that his chest protested the movement.

"McGee, Lay back down right now. Abby's right here and she's not hurt" Gibbs and Ziva spoke at once.

"Tim, I'm fine. You took the bullet for me." Abby said while taking his hand in hers and smiled when he relaxed.

Then the doctor who performed McGee's surgery entered. "I'll need you all to leave so I can examine my patient." He exited the room twenty minutes later looking pleased. "Despite being unconscious for so long, I believe he will be able to leave here in a couple of days, however he will need to take it very easy for a couple of weeks before I'll consider clearing him for desk duty."

"We'll make sure he rests" Gibbs assured the doctor.

"You may go back in the room but please let him sleep" Tim was sleeping when the team reentered his room; Tim opened his eyes for a second but drifted right back to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Two days later

As promised, McGee was released from the hospital. He would be going to his apartment with Abby. A few hours after they had returned to the apartment Abby woke to the sounds of someone moving around the kitchen. "McGee, you're supposed to be resting."

"I was hungry and you were sleeping."

"Next time, wake me up"

"Abby, this was my fault not yours"

"I know but you need to recover from your injuries as well as major surgery so please take it easy."

"I will Abby." he said as he returned to bed as he was tired and his still recovering body was starting to hurt again.

Two weeks later, McGee returned to the office but because of his still healing injury he was not allowed to go out in the field. "McGee run the victim's background" Gibbs said as he entered the office that morning.

"Already on it Boss. Tony called me an hour ago with the name."

"Find anything yet?"

"I'm still trying to track him down." He answered automatically.

"Are you doing all right McGee?" He thought McGee's voice sounded a little strained and Gibbs wondered if McGee was in pain.

"I'm good boss"

"I'm going for coffee; can I bring you anything back?"

"I'm good" Now Gibbs was sure that his agent was in pain.

When Gibbs returned twenty minutes later, he placed a coffee and breakfast sandwich on McGee's desk. "Thanks Boss"

"You couldn't very well take your pain meds on an empty stomach" he said as he headed for the elevator. McGee had truly forgotten that he was still on pain killers as if on cue he felt the pain starting at the site of his wound. He ate his sandwich and took his pain meds and sat back in his chair until they kicked in and when they did he resumed tracking their victim.

"Anything yet McGee?" Ziva asked when she entered the office, looking tired because she and Tony had been at the scene all night waiting for techs to obtain more evidence. "Did you find anything yet Probie?" Tony asked as he came in to the office.

"Just a last known address but the landlord hasn't seen him in a year since he moved out." McGee informed him as he handed Tony a slip of paper with the address on it.

"We'll check it out, Good Job McGee, how are you feeling?"

"I'm doing good Ziva, thank you"


End file.
